Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea

HTMLCountry3

Introduction

Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth (Mauritius) was appointed in October 2012 as the first Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. She was member of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea from June 2014 to June 2016.

Sheila B. Keetharuth has worked and travelled in Africa for over two and a half decades and brings extensive experience in the area of human rights, including research, advocacy, litigation and training. She has also worked as a broadcaster for over eight years on the African continent.

After obtaining an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law and Civil Liberties at the University of Leicester (UK), she was called to the Bar in Mauritius in January 1997. In July 2002, she joined Amnesty International as a Researcher at the Africa Regional Office in Kampala, Uganda, and acted as the Interim Head of Office until December 2005. From November 2006 to June 2012, Sheila B. Keetharuth was the Executive Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), a pan-African NGO based in Banjul, The Gambia. She is currently enrolled as a part-time doctoral candidate at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

In 2011, the Madrid Bar Association awarded Sheila B. Keetharuth a Medal of Honour for her human rights work on the African continent.

Mandate by the Human Rights Council

Human Rights Council resolution 32/24 extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and requested the mandate-holder to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-fourth session and to submit a written report on the situation of human rights in Eritrea to the Council at its thirthy-fifth session (for additional information on the work of the Special Rapporteur see: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/CountriesMandates/ER/Pages/SREritrea.aspx).

Individual complaints

In the discharge of her mandate, the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea has developed the information sheet below to facilitate the submission of information. Although communications are also considered when they are not submitted in the form of this model questionnaire, the Special Rapporteur would be grateful for receiving information tailored to her mandate. The objective of this questionnaire is to have access to precise information on alleged human rights violations in Eritrea. If any information contained in the questionnaire should be kept confidential please mark “CONFIDENTIAL” beside the relevant entry. Please do not hesitate to attach additional sheets, if the space provided is not sufficient.

Should you have any questions concerning the completion of this form, please feel free to contact the Special Rapporteur.

The questionnaire (English, Arabic, Tigrinya) should be filled out and sent to:Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritreac/o Office of the High Commissioner for Human RightsUnited Nations at Geneva8-14 avenue de la PaixCH-1211 Geneva 10Switzerland Fax: (+41) 22 917 90 06E-mail: sr-eritrea@ohchr.org or urgent-action@ohchr.org (then please include in the subject box: Special Rapporteur on Eritrea).